Wednesday, 19 March 2014

In the part one of this
public statement, dated 18th day of March, 2014, we x-rayed
Governor Willie Obiano’s inaugural speech and found that as good as the speech
was, there is critical need to revaluate some critical issues contained therein
for the purpose of making them (promises) realistic and believable by most
residents of Anambra State. For instance, his promise to set up or build a
refinery “within one year” of his regime may most likely be seen by many as “a
psychology of politics” or bloated promise. Similar thing applies to his
promise to set up power plant in Nnewi, Awka and Onitsha zones. Apart from
intricacies and complexities inherent in the two sectors, resources; human and
material, so required are enormous; likewise administrative challenges and
technicalities inherent including issue of “legislative list” oversights
contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as
amended in 2011.

Our revaluation of
Governor Willie Obiano’s inaugural speech and constructive advice offered is
intended to offer him an opportunity to take a second look at the said speech
contents so as to come to terms with realities following them and make the
people of Anambra State understand that sometimes “an inaugural speech is not a
governance-economic blueprint”. This is more so when such an inaugural speech
is a sole product of “a speech writer”, as against blueprint, which is usually
a collective product of a team of experts including the governor and his
deputy. This explains why we quickly reminded the Governor of his famous “3-Cs”
(continuation, completion and commissioning governorship electoral campaign
blueprint. But if he indeed, has added “setting up a refinery within one year”
and “setting three power plants in Nnewi, Onitsha and Awka” in his blueprint,
then, our candid advice to him is to commission a team of experts to revisit
them to ascertain their feasibility or otherwise especially in the context of
available human and material resources, exclusive and concurrent legislative
lists considerations and their post commissioning durability, effectiveness and
efficiency.

Another area of Governor
Willie Obiano’s inaugural speech that requires our advocacy input is “security
and vigilantism”. His promise to retrain and re-arm motley of vigilante groups
operating in the State is a commendable one, but it is also a fact to note that
vigilantism is part of insecurity in Anambra State particularly in the areas of
crimes against persons and properties (street crimes). Malicious members and ex
members of the outfit have been responsible for human napping menace in the
State in recent times, either as informants or abductors proper. Another source
of crime in the State is the steady influx of illicit small arms into the
State. The third contributor to failed security in the State is failed
intelligence gathering and usage by conventional security organizations in the
State especially the police. The fourth is absence of electronic security in
the State. The fifth is failed criminal investigation management and the sixth
one is anachronistic judiciary system and criminal trials in the State.

A well known scenario
depicting the opposite of electronic and mental intelligence policing is the
heaping of bags of sand in front of the gate of the Anambra State Police
Command at Awka and permanent blocking of the right side of the Zik’s Avenue
Dual Carriage Way by the Command. This is a raw evidence of stone-age
securitization and an example of failed intelligence security among officers
and persons of the State Police Command. Police sources in the State have continued
to believe that by heaping bags of sand in front of their State Command
Headquarters, bomb detonators like Boko Haram insurgents, human abductors, bank
and bullion van robbers and other violent criminals will be caught when on
rampage including when the State Police Headquarters is under gunshot and bomb
attack. In a modern security conscious clime, such a strategic government area
that also contains Governor’s Lodge, State Criminal Investigations Department
and State Directorate of Security Services (DSS) should be electronically and
intelligently policed.

In the area of
proliferated vigilantism, Governor Willie Obiano should go farther than
“retraining and re-arming” the vigilantes by trimming down their numbers and
setting up a strong index policy to control their exit and entry. There are
over 1000 vigilante groups of various sizes operating in the State presently.
There should also be a comprehensive list containing all their names and
passport photographs, dates of birth, community identities, dates/months/years
of enlistment, enlistment code numbers, LGAs of origins and areas of postings. They
should be biometrically profiled.This list should be in both hard and soft
copies and be periodically updated with copies made available to all important
institutions including watchdog groups like rights based organizations. There
should also be a written and codified code of conduct for every vigilante.
Illegal and unofficial possession of arms by any vigilante should be prohibited
and all the vigilantes should be neatly and decently dressed with periodic
in-service and outside service orientation and training on arms handling, basic
intelligence gathering and public relation including human rights issues.

In the area of
proliferation of illicit small arms, Governor Willie Obiano should commission a
team of experts to undertake a comprehensive study of destinations from which
such arms flow into the State, those behind their influx and black markets
where they end up and sold. Sadly, we wish to observe that some of those who
presently serve as members of the State Security Trust Fund/Committee are found
involved. They should be identified, investigated and bundled off. There should
be comprehensive arms recovery or buy-back program, which, if well designed and
publicized (not politicized), can attract international appealing and adequate
funding. Government should ban the purchase of illicit small arms by any
vigilante group from arms black markets and ensure that arms borne by
vigilantes are indented and serially marked. Their subordination to the Nigeria
Police Force should be retained.

In the areas of failed
security intelligence and usage, criminal investigation management and
electronic security, though, having been substantially in constitutional residency
of the Nigeria Police Force, which is outside the constitutional
scope of the governor in terms of police management; the Willie Obiano’s new
administration can still do something especially within the contemplation of
“supplementary Logistics support”. There is need to relocate the
present headquarters of the State Police Command with its State CID to a
befitting and modern edifice adorn with advanced electronic securitization
gadgets and trained operators. The State CID should also be given a befitting
and modern crime library and laboratory with competent personnel to man them.
Governor Willie Obiano should seek the permission of the headship of the NPF
and the C-in-C to sponsor some officers to overseas training particularly in
electronic, mental intelligence/investigative, preventive, library and
laboratory policing.

The Governor
should upturn the State from being a destination for police brutality and
criminal enrichment to a destination for professional and envious policing by
initiating a compulsory and non-fee computer literacy program for all the
officers and personnel of the State Police Command. If well packaged, the
program can attract international attention and funding with each police
officer that scales through at the end of the program receiving a set of
computer or laptop powered by internet. Our recent findings clearly showed that
most police officers in the command and the rank and file cadres, including
officers deployed at the State CID and SARS, run for cover whenever they see computer
and internet devices. Yet, every police officer is a potential Investigating
Police Officer (IPO) and arrester of a suspected criminal in the State or any
part thereof. The package being demanded should also be extended to the
headquarters of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) with a view to
eliminating the high incidence of torture, extra-judicial killings and
disappearances that dominate their operations.

In the area of
electronic policing and security, they should be incorporated into the State
Roads’ construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation designs and
implementations. All strategic roads in the State should be electronically
policed powered by hidden close circuit televisions, cameras and other
e-security devices. The Anambra State Police Command and all its
Area Commands, SARS formations, DPSs (divisional police stations) and PPs
(police posts) can be fully digitalized and hooked up to the State Police
Command Headquarters. Expert findings have clearly shown that preventive,
intelligence and electronic policing are far cheaper, affordable and easier
that combative and reactive policing. They are also more environmentally
friendly than polluting the environment and endangering the living, which is
what combative and reactive policing does.

Era of flooding every
nook and cranny of social climes with guns and bullets of different makes all
in the name of fighting violent crimes is already obsolete. A sole Boko Haram
insurgent or bomb detonator, for instance, can cause hundreds of death and
thousands of injuries, yet once he causes the havoc, our security planners run
to Europe to order containers load of AK-47 riffles on the ground that they are
fighting violent group crimes including Boko Haram. This security methodology
is out-fashioned. Violent criminals caught in their hideouts make
society safer those caught on rampage!

In the area of
anachronistic judiciary system and criminal trials, the Government of Willie
Obiano should professionalize the State Judiciary, especially the High Court
Division by creating “Criminal High Court” divisions out of the present muddled
high court system. The Anambra State High Court Law and Rules as well as the
Criminal Law of Anambra State should be holistically amended and brought in
tandem with modern criminal trial and adjudication practices including modern
rules of criminal evidence. Lawyers and Judges with backgrounds in criminal
law, sociology and criminology should be given preference during recruitment
and appointment into criminal high courts’ job. This idea is geared towards
eliminating “holding charge” in magistrate courts and prohibiting them from
preliminary entertainment of criminal matters that are outside their original
jurisdictions. It will further tame torture and extra-judicial
killings on the basis of “police trial by ordeal” as well as curtail excessive
detention and detention without trial. This will also ensure speedy and fair
trial of suspect-citizens and quick dispensation of justice.

Signed:

Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman

International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law-Intersociety